Improvement in horse hat-forks



tant' f @aie/uti ,ROSCOE S. SHELDON, OF CHICAGO, ILLNOIS.

Letters Patent No. 85,702, dated Jamin/ry A5, 1869.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the lame.

To all whom this may concer/n:

Be it known that LRosoon S. Shannon, of Ohicago, in the county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful'lmprovement in Horse Hay- Forks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description of the construction and operation of ,the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and letters marked thereon, making Va part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective representation of my invention, with the prongs spread out and in position to raiseY hay. g

Figure ,2, ,an elevation of the same..with the aims closed.

Figure 3, an elevation of the guide-bar, removed from the cross-head.

The present invention relates to an improvementin that class of hay-fbrks which have expanding arms or prongs, for grasping the hay; and

-Its nature consists in the use of a vertical bar, which is put through the upper cross-head and extends downward between the prongs far enough to provide a guide for the inner ends of the braces, their outer ends being pivoted to a lower crosshead which slides on the bar, and thusallows the prongs to readily open and close; and, further, in the application of a weighted elbowtoggle for Alocking the Aprongs when they are expanded. To enable others to fully comprehend the construction and operation of my invention, I have marked oorresponding parts with similar letters, and will now give a detailed description.

' A represents the upper cross-head, which is made of metal, and has pivoted to its angles the ordinary prongs D D D D for grasping the hay.

` A metal bar, C, is put through the cross-head A, and fastened to it, and it ext-ends downward between the prongs D far enoughrto provide a guide for a lower crosshead, S, which is arranged to slide on the bar O, and it has pivoted to its arms four pairs of braces, P P,

'hese braces are pivoted, at their opposite ends, to

the prongs D, and hold them in position when they are raising hay. v

The device for locking the braces lconsists of an elbow-toggle, E F, which is made of metal, and pivoted to lugs T projecting downward from the cross-head A. The end, E, of the toggle being weighted, brings the end, F, vof the same over the lower cross-head, and thus locks the braces.

A nut, b, is turned on the end of the bar O, as shown at fig. 3, to prevent the lower cross-head from sliding down too far and getting out of place.

By this construction and arrangement a very simple, durable, and convenient fork is provided, and one that is not liable to break `or get out'of order, like those forks that have long bars projecting above the crosshead A, and elbow-braces pivoted to their tops and to the prongs. 4

When the braces P 'are properly adjusted, their inner ends will have such an'upward inclination as will permit the prongs'D to draw together as soon=as the toggle E is removedfrom the cross-head S.

Operation. The fork is suspended by a rope, H, fastened to the ring B, and it is supposed to be raised and lowered in Athe usual manner.

Theprongs D are to be forced into the hay far enough to bring the cross-heads under the toggle F.

The hay isloosened frornthe prongs by drawing on the rope f. p

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, anddesire to secure by LettersPatent of the United States, isv The prongs'D D, cross-head IA, braces P P, bar G, and cross-head S, locked by the toggle E F, arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth. R. S.. SHELDON.

Witnesses:

G. L. (lr-turn, A. HAYWARD. 

